


Victory

by AngelynMoon



Series: Stronger [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Consent Issues, Dubious Consent, M/M, Mental Coercion, Possessive Magnus Bane, Post-Episode: s02e12 You Are Not Your Own, Post-Episode: s02e20 Beside Still Water, Post-Magnus Bane & Valentine Morgenstern Body Swap, Redemable Johnathan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-13 02:15:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21486652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelynMoon/pseuds/AngelynMoon
Summary: In which Alec wakes up.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Valentine Morgenstern, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Stronger [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1529321
Comments: 4
Kudos: 84





	Victory

"Magnus." Alec breathes as he wakes, but his voice sounds strange, raspy and it hurts to speak.

For a moment Alec is confused, this is not his bed, not the one at the Institute, nor is it the one he shared with Valentine, here Alec shudders, he is glad this is not that bed, even if this is a dream.

Alec remembers his time with Valentine, it makes his stomach churn with nausea, the same way it had when he had discovered that Valentine had been masquerading as Magnus for weeks.

Alec could remember the way Valentine had touched him, the way Alec had wanted the touch, had nearly craved it, even through the fuzzy wrongness of those feelings, like he had been held under water and was running out of air, unable to breath in anything but water that curled down his throat and choked him, killing him slowly.

It had been confusing and Alec hadn't understood why every touch and kiss had been wrong, uncomfortable, like it was something rotten and sour, decaying, each touch leaving Alec feeling his stomach turn and a bitter aftertaste on his tongue 

Alec opened his eyes, wondering for a moment where he was.

He frowned at the magical cuffs that encircled each of his wrists, but he supposed that ot made sense, of he had spent the last few months with Valentine, supposedly in love with him.

Alec's bound hands flew to his throat as he recalled his last moments in Valentine's presence. His fingers met a bandage, which wrapped around his neck, a small tackiness telling him that, at one point or another, he had bled through the bandage, though why no one had healed it with a Rune confused Alec. The bandage's presence also told Alec that those final moments with Valentine hadn't been a dream, or a nightmare as the case may be.

The bandage told Alec that Valentine had indeed intended on killing him, had pierced through Alec's throat with his own arrow.

But the, why was he alive, had Magnus succeeded in rescuing him, had the Warlock even been trying to, they had been nothing to one another when everything had happened.

Alec looked up as the door to the room opened.

"Alexander." Magnus said softly and Alec forced himself not to flinch at his full name, the same one Valentine had used.

"Magnus." Alec whispered in return, tears leaking from his eyes as he reached for Magnus, nothing mattered now, he was safe, even in chains, Magnus would keep him safe.

Magnus eyed him, his hands ready for a spell, and Alec understood, he did but he couldn't bring himself to stop reaching for Magnus.

"Magnus." Alec said again and tried to remember their last code word before Magnus had walked away from him, "Magnus, oenomel."

Magnus stared at Alec before sitting on the edge of the bed, the Warlock hesitating for only a moment more before pulling Alec into a hug, and Alec clutched at Magnus' shoulders as he began to sob, burying his face on Magnus' neck.

"I love you, Magnus, I love you." Alec sobbed, "Don't let go, please, don't let me go."

"I won't, darling, I promise, apprivoise." And Magnus remembered his last code word too.

Alec sobbed harder , ugly, heaving sobs until it was hard to catch his breath, his body gasping and hiccupping and Alec's throat hurt but he couldn't stop, didn't even try because Magnus was holding him and Alec was afraid that if he let go then he would wake and he'd still be with Valentine, trapped behind a fog in his own mind, with the man's hands touching him, only just shy of sexual, his words suggestive and wrong.

It took several moments for Alec to calm slightly and as he did he became aware of Magnus murmuring soothingly.

"You're safe, Alexander, you're safe, he can't touch you here, you're safe, darling."

It took even longer for Alec to calm enough to let Magnus pull away but Alec wouldn't let go of the Warlock's wrists, still afraid that this was a dream and that he would wake if he let go.

"What happened?" Alec coughed a little, "After Valentine used the Wish?"

Magnus stared at him, "What do you remember?" Magnus asked instead of answering.

"It's fuzzy, like a fog or what lingers when you first wake up." Alec forced out, Magnus' hands squeezing his wrists, grounding him, "It was all wrong, sour, bitter, I knew it wasn't right but I couldn't stop reaching for him, couldn't stop leaning into his touch, wanting it." Alec whispered, he felt sick to his stomach again.

Alec looked at his hands, clutching tight to Magnus' wrists, tangled up in bracelets and fine golden chains, he could feel his throat burning, felt tears on his cheeks and Magnus' hands were squeezing his wrists gently, pulling Alec back to him, making him look up to meet Magnus' golden eyes, reminding Alec that it was okay to be vulnerable.

"I don't know how it happened but one moment I was waiting for his return, wishing he was back already and then the feelings were gone and tbe fuzziness and he walked through the door and I wished it was you and I hated him." Alec continued softly, he almost wanted to smile at the anger he saw burning in Magnus' eyes but he couldn't, not now.

"He told me that he used the Wish, used it to make me love him and all that mattered was you, all that mattered was that you thought I loved him now and..." Alec looked away as he paused, he had to, he couldn't look at Magnus while he recounted what happened next, "I told him that I loved you, said I'd rather die than not love you. He..." Alec's hand touched the bandage that wrapped around his neck, "He shoved one of my arrows into my throat but I couldn't stop saying I loved you.... I wanted it to be the last thing I said, the last thing he heard, that not even the Angel could make me love him, could make me stop loving you."

"Oh, Alexander, my darling Nephilim." And Magnus was pulling Alec close to him and holding him tight as Alec began to sob again, fingers making a wrinkled mess of Magnus' shirt but Alec couldn't loosen his fingers and Magnus didn't seem to care.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I love you, I'm so sorry, please don't make me go, don't make me leave, I don't want him to get me again, please." Alec begged.

"Hush," Magnus said gently, soothingly as he carded his fingers through Alec's hair, "You're not going anywhere, mot Alicante, not Idris, not the Institute, as far as the Clave is concerned, you are under house arrest, under my supervision until we can be sure the Angel's Wish is no longer in effect. You're safe, Alexander, I won't let Valentine touch you again,bif he even survives long enough to come after you again." Magnus explained gently as he laid an exhausted Alec back in the bed.

"What?" Alec asked, yawning.

"The reason you are alive, that you're here, that you're home is that Johnathan Morgenstern was apparently very willing to betray his father for you, Alexander, he's referred to you as his big brother and has claimed that no one hurts you and lives." Magnus smiled a little, "I suppose I should be concerned about tbe look he directed at me while he spoke but, well, I have no intention of hurting you, not again."

Alec's lips twitched, of all the things that had happened while he was with Valentine, protecting and getting to know Johnathan was not something Alec regretted, the boy had needed someone to love him, to protect him from Valentine and Alec had done so, not because he expected it to be returned but because Alec would always, always be an older brother before he was anything else and Johnathan had been a child that Alec's older brother instincts had decided to protect.

"He's a good boy, you know," Alec murmured as sleep began to claim him, "He just had a bad father."

"I know, he's got Maryse and Luke looking after him now, Clary, Jace, Izzy, and Simon too, rest, Alexander, they'll be here when you wake next."

"'Nd you?" Alec slurred out as his eyes finally drifted closed.

"I'll be here as well, my Nephilim, I'm not going anywhere, I won't let anyone take you away from me again." Magnus promised.

Alec smiled slightly in his half asleep state.

"Yours, Magnus." Alec agreed before sleep dragged him under.

Magnus smiled back, unseen, as he tucked Alec into him bed, sitting himself down on a chair next to it with Alec's hand held in his own and Magnus wondered if this was what victory felt like.

\----

A/n: Oenomel: something combining strength with sweetness.

Apprivoise: to become known to each other through small moments; to form a bond with one another.

I don't know if the definitions are right and at the moment, i don't really care.

As always let me know if this needs a tag and I will add it.

I know that Alec has a long recovery looming in the future and we all know that Magnus is going to be right there with him like he always is, but i don't know that i will want to write that out.


End file.
